Gunslingers of the past come alive in Ackley

Gunslingers in the style of the Old West are twirling their sidearms this weekend in a northern Iowa shooting competition. The gathering near Ackley is called “Showdown on the Prairie” and is gathering men and women in authentic pre-1900s costumes to shoot their century-old revolvers.George Glenn is one of the organizers of the Showdown as a member of the National Congress of Old West Shootists. In addition to the scenarios with pop-up targets, he says there’ll be other shooting competitions on horseback and a variety of reenactments, using blanks instead of bullets.Glenn says an old west town has been built on site that’ll be inhabited by all sorts of ware vendors, a blacksmith, a weapons engraver and more. He says the days of “Gunsmoke” may be long gone, but it’s fun to live out his childhood dreams on weekends. He says most of the people involved grew up listening to radio westerns. At least 150 competitors are expected for the showdown from all over the U-S. The Prairiefire Range is about two miles east of Ackley off Route 20.